ALL CONTENTS, STATEMENTS, AND IMAGES FROM

HEREWITH ARE OWNED BY ITS RIGHTFUL OWNERS.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
III. COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
3.1 Communication Types

Communication is essential
for starting and building a
successful business. In this
session, we will review the
basic forms of
communication, tools,
resources, and equipment
available for your business.

(Image derived from: https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*ahZzAfrWkSh6ZW6-VxPMmA.jpeg)

❖ External and Internal Communication

• Communication is essential for any company's success. By making clients aware of your firm
and what it has to offer, strong external communication can help you grow your brand and
sell your product or service. Internal communication between employees, teams, partners,
and leaders is critical to the smooth and efficient operation of the firm.

Two types of communication, external and internal, have different objectives:

• External communication reaches out to the customer to make him or her aware of your
product or service and provide a reason to buy. This type of communication includes
brochures, advertising, contact letters/direct mail, telephone calls, business cards, Web sites,
and anything else that makes the public aware of what you do. A couple of things to
remember about external communication:
o Image is extremely important in external corporate communications! Your logo should
represent who you are.
o Consistency is also very important. Use the same words and messages to
communicate externally about your business.

• Internal communication with team members is essential to attracting and retaining a talented
staff and monitoring business performance. Consistent communication about business goals
will provide direction to the people in your company and make sure everyone is working
toward the same objective. Internal communication can be designed to motivate your team.
Methods for communicating internally include performance awards, newsletters, meetings,
telephone calls, and both formal and informal discussions. Periodic meetings with top project
management groups, including your board of directors and advisory board, should be
planned for regular intervals every year. The importance of an advisory board is covered in
the Getting Your Team in Place session of the Business Expansion course.
o As with external communication, consistency is very important. Use the same words
and messages with all members of your team to make sure everyone is on the same
page.
o Many large companies print key messages and goals on employee badges and ID
cards so that every person in the organization has the same words at their fingertips.

Don’t take communication for granted. Effective communication requires careful planning and uses
many different tools. In this session, we will discuss those tools, as well as planning guidelines, to
facilitate business communication.
III. COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
3.2 Hotel Communication Systems

❖ An Overview of Popular Hotel Communications

• How Different Hotel

Communication Systems
Address Hotels' Specific
Communication Needs

o Each industry has its own

specific needs with regards to
its internal communication. For
the hospitality industry, the
nature of the jobs requires a
demanding communication
between the workers to get the
work done. With fast-paced
work and most of the staffs are
on the field, hotels need a
communication tool that works
well inside and outside the
building, is flexible to carry around, easy to operate with occupied hands, and connects
both on-field and in-office staffs seamlessly.
o With such specific requirements for its internal communication, hotels need a particular
communication tool to cover them. There are quite some choices of communication tools
in the market that are either specifically built for the hospitality industry or very relevant to
it. Here are some of the most popular ones:

1. Two-Way Radio or also Known as Radio Walkie-Talkie

• The two-way radio has been used in the hospitality industry for quite some time and is still
the most popular communication tool used by hotel professionals by far. It is liked for its fast
and easiness to start a communication and although it’s not preferred for its lack of
functionality, many of its users are still hesitant about switching to another communication
system.

• The radio walkie-talkie is also praised for its network connection reliability. Despite not having
as good coverage as the cellular network, it doesn’t really affect its performance for use in
limited coverage like in hotels.

2. Hotel Service Optimization System

• A hotel service optimization system is an app that offers a complete package of
communication for hotels. It connects the guests with the hotel, but not only that, it also works
as the communication tool between the hotel’s staffs. With this app, the front office can assign
tasks to the housekeeping or maintenance staffs, thus making the communication
streamlined and more effective.

• This solution is preferred by many hotels because:

o It connects the guests with the hotel and improves the guests’ experience at the hotel.
o It is mobile device-based, which means the hotel staffs won’t need additional devices.
They can use the app on their smartphones or tablets.
o It has many integrations with various mobile applications that make the performance
easier and better.

3. DECT Phones
• DECT stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology. It is a cordless device that works
on PSTN or landline phone line. This is a practical solution for people who want to use
landline while roaming around. The range itself varies depending on the device, with the
typical around 300 meters, with the most expensive usually has the best range. However,
the actual range in practice depends on many factors, such as obstacle, climate, and radio
 interference. Additionally, DECT Phones can be used as an intercom, which is another useful
feature of DECT Phones for internal communication inside a building.

4. Complete Hotel Communication Solutions

• There are many companies that sell a complete communication solution specifically for hotel
needs. Such solution has various products in its portfolio, which all of them are suitable for
use in hotels. The products’ range is as below:
o A modular communications server to handle high call volumes.
o Desk Phones, ranges from the regular landline phone up to the premium one that has a
multipurpose terminal with integrated IP functions.
o DECT Handsets, which is cordless/wireless landline phones.
o Network infrastructure, that enables voice and data communications.
o IP Desktop Softphone, a telephony application for voice communications on employee’s
mobile devices.

5. Mobile Device-Based Walkie Talkie or More Familiar as Walkie-Talkie App

• A walkie talkie app is an app that enables you to use your smartphones as a walkie-talkie.
The main feature it offers is like the radio walkie talkie, which is PTT or Push-to-Talk
communication. So, with this app, you will have a radio walkie-talkie function that has great
cellular network coverage, works on Wi-Fi, can be used together with many other mobile
applications, with various device designs available to choose.

• All hotels that use walkie-talkie apps as their internal communication tool say the most
benefit, they get is practicality since the staffs only need to carry one device while working.
Another thing they feel benefited is related to the device’s physical design, as they can
choose whatever smartphone models they want. This is quite vital since, in the hospitality
industry, hotel’s staffs are the representation of the hotel’s image in front of the guests.

• Today, there are many walkie-talkie apps available in the market where each of them has its
primary features. However, when it comes to using it for fast communication like in a hotel,
speed, flexibility, and ease-of-use are the most desirable features. Compared to the other
prominent walkie talkie apps in the market today,

o With the many communication solutions available in the market for the hospitality industry,
it doesn’t mean that there are no opportunities for a new form of communication solution
in the future. In fact, with the rapid development of networks and mobile technology, there
is a huge opportunity for innovation in this field.

o It means the hospitality industry will potentially have many more communication solution
options in the future. Having said that, the most important thing would be choosing the
one that covers the needs, simplifies things, thus increases efficiency and productivity. At
the end of the day, it is that matters.

REFERENCES:

• F. (2022, January 14). Hotel communication systems. VoicePing App. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from
https://www.voicepingapp.com/blog/different-hotel-communication-systems
• Santa Clara University. (n.d.). Communications & technology for small business - my own business institute - learn how to
start a business. Santa Clara University - My Own Business Institute. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from
https://www.scu.edu/mobi/business-courses/starting-a-business/session-8-communication-tools/